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About this blog: I am a native of Alameda County, grew up in Pleasanton and currently live in the house I grew up in that is more than 100 years old. I spent 39 years in the daily newspaper business and wrote a column for more than 25 years in add... (More)

About this blog: I am a native of Alameda County, grew up in Pleasanton and currently live in the house I grew up in that is more than 100 years old. I spent 39 years in the daily newspaper business and wrote a column for more than 25 years in addition to writing editorials for more than 15 years. I have served as a director of many non-profits in the Valley and the broader Bay Area and currently serve as chair of Teen Esteem and on the advisory board of Shepherd?s Gate. I also served as founding chair of Heart for Africa and have travelled to Africa seven times to serve on mission trips. My wife, Betty Gail, has taught at Amador Valley High (from where we both graduated) since 1981. She and I both graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, as did both of my parents and my three siblings. Given that Cal tradition, our daughter went south to the University of Southern California and graduated with a degree in international relations. Since graduation, she has taken three mission trips and will be serving in the Philippines for nine months starting in September. (Hide)

Cook-Kallio handlers running curious campaign

Uploaded: Oct 25, 2016

Cheryl Cook-Kallio clearly is being tightly managed in her run for the 16th Assembly seat currently held by Republican Catharine Baker.
When Cheryl served on the Pleasanton City Council she was quite forthright with her views on issues concerning the city. Now she’s trying to step up to the Assembly in an election that likely will have a much higher turnout than the record low number of citizens who cast votes in the mid-term 2014 election when Baker drew a coalition of Republicans and independents to defeat former Dublin Mayor Tim Sbranti. She’s the only Republican in the Bay Area contingent.
In contrast to her earlier openness, Cheryl declined to participate in the East Bay Times editorial board and also ducked the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce’s debate. The Baker campaign has called upon the Cook-Kallio campaign to make public copies of any questionnaires she filled out for various interest groups.
Not surprisingly, no response. And, there’s no obligation to respond.
I reached out to Cheryl via email asking for an explanation and never heard back.
What her campaign seems to be counting upon is simply the “Democrat” that will follow her name on the ballot. Campaign emails tout her endorsement by Gov. Jerry Brown as well as the other constitutional officers (all Democrats) and the Assembly Speaker and Senate leader. Given the track record of some of those officers, particularly Attorney General Kamala Harris, that is a negative for me, but presumably the polling indicates it will help.
What’s unusual is that Baker has swept the newspaper endorsements from the San Francisco Chronicle to the Times to the Pleasanton Weekly and the Livermore Independent. Three of the four (the Weekly excepted) can be counted upon to mirror the Democratic Party slate cards with their recommendations so it’s notable that Baker was their choice.
The Independent reached back to Cheryl’s council record and disagreed with her votes during that time—I would applaud many of them.
The others cited her record of working across the deep aisle that separates the parties as well as her ill-advised vote for the governor’s pet climate change legislation.
We’ll know on Nov. 9 or later whether the vote because I’m a Dem unseats Baker. Incidentally, the history of the rare time in the competitive newspaper industry (two dailies and two weeklies) when one candidate got all of the endorsements did not always work out positively come Election Day.Speaking of endorsements, it was interesting that the Weekly declined to endorse retired Principal Steve Maher because he has relatives working in the district and that could present a potential conflict of interest during contract negotiations. Instead the paper’s editorial board backed incumbents Jamie Hintzke and Valerie Arkin.
From my perspective, the paper focused on potential with Maher instead of the record of the incumbents who hired the now-departed Superintendent Parvin Ahmadi and watched the exodus of principals to the detriment of students. Study after study shows that the key person in academic excellence is the site leader and churning them serves no one—particularly when they leave for lateral positions.
That’s on the superintendent and the board—a record that the Weekly should have considered to say nothing of the shameful way district leaders handled the mess with former Principal Jon Vranesh.

Posted by Justin,
a resident of San Ramon,
on Oct 25, 2016 at 10:03 pm

The democracy will be a joke if Catherine Baker fails to continue to serve AD 16 in this election. She is doing so great in her two rookie years that everybody in AD16 has enough reason to support her to continue her work in Sacramento to serve we the people, no matter you are democratic, or independent or republican. Besides, what will be the benefit of a democratic super-majority in the legislature? it only means free spending of the tax money without any check and control!!!

Posted by Justin,
a resident of San Ramon,
on Oct 25, 2016 at 10:09 pm

We should elect people like Catharine Baker as our representative who dedicates to work across the party line, who helps to maintain check & balance in California's heavily distorted political system, Who is smart, discipline, fiscal conservative, and absolutely no cent of corruption, who is not controlled by special interest groups like union.

Posted by DKHSK,
a resident of Bridle Creek,
on Oct 26, 2016 at 9:52 pmDKHSK is a registered user.

Tim,

I'm not sure what is curious about a Democrat who isn't transparent? Our current failed President said that he would run the most transparent administration the US has ever seen and has fallen far short of that claim.

Liars and crooks...and its not just the Democrats. They're just the most obvious.

Posted by Pleasantonian,
a resident of Birdland,
on Oct 27, 2016 at 10:27 am

I agree with the comment about the shameful way the district leaders handled the Vranesh situation.

When Vranesh's accuser also indicated a female custodian 'threatened' them and then after the accuser began indicating another male custodian 'threatened' them and had him removed from campus, the district leaders should at that time wised up and after 3 of these serial accusations, should have absolutely looked at the situation and realized that someone who has a pattern of accusing various people of misdeeds needs to be seriously examined as to whether they are being truthful.

It is shameful that no one in the district leadership had the guts to do the right thing, re-hire Vranesh, and fix the underlying personnel issues at the District. Instead they seem to have had no remorse about the situation, destroyed someone's career, and have moved on. The word "shameful" is quite accurate.

Posted by Local Voter,
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood,
on Oct 29, 2016 at 10:57 am

All 4 papers have now endorsed Assemblywomen Catharine Baker for a second term. The Chronicle is liberal left. I see today's Times, formerly
called ContraCosta, and/or Valley Times as very mainstream center. So all had endorsed Baker last time, which was her first ever campaign.
She has been a serious learner, hard worker, civil and bipartisan representative, that has successfully researched and written legislation,...signed by the Governor.

Posted by Local Voter,
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood,
on Oct 29, 2016 at 6:19 pm

Check the first comment at the top by Michael....the 6 Dem crooks by name with their charges.
Do not compare Assemblywoman Catharine Baker to that criminal scum. She is dedicated, a fast learner, competent, educated. Her seat is all that keeps the Assembly from runaway Dem majority. They have worked with her, because she wants good government..Sometimes a bill with 'a deceitful title' because of one bad item tucked deep in the pages. But being educated in law, nothing gets by her, so she will work on that point until it is acceptable to both, or not. If they want the number and her signature, they all keep working on the tricky part. Like government is suppose to work. She works long hours, is not absent like some who aren't
there enough to warm their seats. We are so lucky to have her.
It's the state of California who would be the loser, if Catharine was
no longer there.
suppose to function.

Posted by rosalindr,
a resident of San Ramon,
on Oct 29, 2016 at 11:20 pmrosalindr is a registered user.

Cook-Kallio must have supporters with deep pockets. She's been running television attack ads against Assemblywoman Baker, full of the usual anti-Republican slant. These ads are so annoying and inaccurate, I really hope Baker wins in a landslide.